Australian Open Tennis / Tony Keen / 22 January 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Tony Keen predicts Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin will move one step closer towards a 'Belgian showdown' in the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open.

Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs. Nadia Petrova (RUS)

Kim Clijsters is currently in red-hot form, having started 2010 with seven consecutive wins.

Given her 4-0 record against Petrova, she will head into her third-round clash with the Russian high on confidence. And yet, despite her dominance over the world number 20, Clijsters can't afford to take her opponent lightly as Petrova boasts a powerful serve and is strong from the baseline.

There are, however, major question marks over Petrova's ability to handle pressure on the big stage. Expect Clijsters to take advantage of this and win the majority of the big points.

Three of Clijsters' wins over Petrova have been in straight sets, so the smart option would be to put money on her to secure victory in two sets.

Justine Henin (BEL) vs. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)

Justine Henin's quest for an eighth grand slam is gathering steam.

After a 6-4 6-3 win over fellow countrywoman Kirsten Flipkens, Henin, who is playing in just her second tournament after a 20-month retirement, toughed it out to prevail, 7-5 7-6 (8-6), in an epic battle with world number five Elena Dementieva.

She now faces No. 27 seed Kleybanova who accounted for Australian Jelena Dokic and Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the first two rounds.

While Henin was guilty of making 57 unforced errors in her hard-fought win over Dementieva, she also cracked 43 winners. In comparison, Kleybanova made 27 winners in her victory over Cirstea. Henin won her only previous meeting with Kleybanova in the quarter finals at Antwerp back in 2008, 6-4 6-3.

Expect the score line to be similar this time around, with Henin's superior stroke play to be the defining difference between the two.